Can Can - Cerise - Cognac Barrel-Aged
Westbrook Brewing Co.

such an odd and enormous glass of beer, a cognac barrel aged wild strong sour with cherries from what i understand. it appears murky, maroon, and thick, without much head on it from the tap. you really have to like cognac to appreciate this one fully, it dominates the nose and the flavor, rich old wet almost decaying oak and the brandy-like spirit, fortified and sweet and rich, boozy as can be, vinous and sharp. its a lot of cognac by any standard, but seems particularly weird in this beer, which is aggressively acidic, bacterial and even astringent, past tart to full fledged caustic, i think a clash with the regal rich cognac and oak, which doesnt stand a chance of mellowing that, robust as it is. i like the cherry note in here, both sweet and tart and pie cherry style, and there is a ton of grain body here too, but the acid is just insane. sour cognac with a side of cherry is a weird flavor, and its weird to base a beer on it. i could see it working a little better with a lot more funk and less sourness, maybe it got away from them a little bit. either way, its a weird beer to serve at a music venue i think, but a cool one to taste. finishing a whole glass of this is a lot. if you love cognac, be sure to challenge yourself with this one, if not, run for the hills! boozy as heck too, this is a monster.